Roughly 70 officials from both nations are expected to participate in the eighth formal round of talks, which will run from Tuesday through Friday.
The South Korean delegation will be led by Kwon Hye-jin, the country’s chief trade negotiator, while Sumathi Balakrishnan, senior director at Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, will head the Malaysian side.
They will seek to bridge remaining gaps across 10 priority areas, including trade in goods, services, and broader economic cooperation.
The push for a bilateral deal comes as both nations seek to insulate themselves from growing volatility in global trade. The ripple effects of the Trump administration’s tariff policies have led South Korea and Malaysia to pursue greater diversification of their export markets, South Korean officials said.
South Korea and Malaysia currently face steep levies of 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively, on certain exports.
For South Korea, the importance of Southeast Asian markets is becoming increasingly evident.
Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations outpaced those to China for two consecutive months this year. In February and March, South Korea exported $9.58 billion and $10.32 billion in goods to ASEAN, compared to $9.51 billion and $10.09 billion in exports to China during the same period.
“We will engage proactively in negotiations aimed at swiftly concluding a bilateral FTA with Malaysia to improve market access conditions for our businesses and help alleviate uncertainty,” said Kwon in a statement.
reporter
Kim Dong-young
davekim0807@ajupress.com
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